My Gallery Wall Updated In Blues + 15% Off At Posterlounge!

Sponsored* - Last Friday I chatted to the Danish girls behind kunstsalonen - curating public art exhibitions in private homes. One of their best tips for arranging art is to choose pieces you love and group them according to colour. I took this to heart this week when I updated the wall behind my sofa with four prints from Posterlounge. Inspired by this Norwegian home in beautiful shades of blue, my new gallery wall combines art inspired by nature (Mountains and Flow) as well as a beautiful illustration by Sophie Schultz and abstract art resembling glass architect. My daughters' faces lit up when she came home from school to discover the transformation! I hope you like the update too!

I love using art to update my home (as you know!) and Posterlounge has an absolutely huge collection of around 80,000 artworks in different sizes. You can also choose which material to print on!

Great news too - they're offering My Scandinavian Home readers 15% off with the code MYSCANDI15 until 31st March, 2019.

In case you're curious about the ones I picked, here's a little more information:

1. Mountains
2. Flow by Laura Marshall
3. Standing by Sophie Schultz
4. Construction (glass architecture) by László Moholy-Nagy

Do you have a favourite?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Niki

*This post is sponsored by Posterlounge, however all words and photos are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the wonderful businesses that make My Scandinavian Home blog possible.

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An Art Exhibition In Your Home? Meet the Danish Women Behind the Concept!

In celebration of International Women's Day, I thought I'd shine a light on two inspiring women from the Scandinavian art and design scene who I've been following for a while! Meet Mette Helena Rasmussen, a graduate from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and Anne Aarsland, an art history and Visual artist graduate from the University of Copenhagen. The pair met through a mutual client in 2017 and founded KUNSTSALONEN through which they curate public exhibitions in private homes across Denmark. To date, they've held five successful exhibitions (FREDERIKSBERG SALONEN, AMAGER SALONEN, AARHUS SALONEN, ØSTERBRO SALONEN and KØBENHAVN K SALONEN (featured above) showcasing the work of over 35 artists at a time. I caught up with the pair to find out more about how the 'nomadic platform' works and their best tips for creating an incredible gallery wall!

A gallery wall in KØBENHAVN K SALONEN in the home of artist Lis McDonald (complete list of artists featured here). 

How did you meet?

We had been following each other on instagram for a while and met on a styling project for Artemide Lighting. The press event was held in Anne's apartment. 

A mother and daughter enjoy the exhibition in a private home in central Copenhagen last weekend. 

When did you decide to collaborate?

The press event turned out to be a cool experience and Anne enjoyed the guests, the talks and how her home was part of something different for a short period of time. We had a glass of wine (or two!) and talked about how we could do something together. We didn't really know what exactly, but came up with ideas for something like networking, exhibitions, social events, parties etc. 

Artists featured above all tagged here. 

How did you come up with the idea?

We wanted to contribute to the Danish art scene and somehow arrived at the idea of holding a curated art exhibition in Anne's private home. 

Work by Carsten Crone Caroc, Sarah Schönbeck, Mie Olise Kjærgaard, Martha Kramer, and Line Busch at last week's exhibition captured by Tia Borgsmidt.

What inspired the name?

Our first exhibition was called FREDERIKSBERG SALONEN inspired by the salons in Paris and the tendency to use homes for literature gatherings, music and poetry events. We were also inspired by the fact that people are starting to rent personal spaces through Airbnb and Gomore.dk. 

Eye-catching art by Kunstsalonen co-founder Anne Aarsland (left) in the KÖBENHAVN K SALONEN exhibition. 

How did you organise your first event?

We invited several contemporary artists and all of them accepted. We installed the art in Anne's home (seen in the last two pictures in this post) and invited everyone we knew. It was a huge success and gave us confidence to develop this active, nomadic platform for showing art and arrange exhibitions in other private homes across Denmark. 

Making final touches to the AARHUS SALONEN exhibition

How does it work?

We curate and invite selected artists to showcase their work in a private home for a weekend. The generous hosts (who are passionate about contemporary art) invite us to use their homes for a week. People visit the exhibition and buy the artwork. It's a true pleasure to work on this project! 

A drool-worthy gallery wall in the home of Mette Helena Rasmussen.

How do you select the artists?
We mostly show Danish artists, but we have featured work by Swedish artist Johan Furåker, Norwegian artists Jeanette Sættre and Arne-Marius Skogås as well as Iranian artist Frank Shoi and Brit Nicholas Imms.

And finally, what are your best tips for creating a perfect gallery wall?
Our best tip is to collect great art! Organise your artwork in tones and colours that work well together. Combine large scale works with minor works and bring in three dimensional pieces to give the wall a vivid expression.



What a truly inspiring idea! Thank you for sharing this with us Mette and Anne!

If you're heading to Denmark, you might like to time your visit with their forthcoming exhibitions:

FUGLEBAKKE SALONEN, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen 10 - 12 May
MORS SALONEN, Jutland in August

Keep an eye out for more information here (and follow along on instagram here).

In case you're feeling inspired to create your own gallery wall this weekend - this guide might come in handy! Or perhaps, if you live in Denmark, your home might just be the location for their next exhibition! Would you be keen? I have a feeling I'd want to keep all the artwork!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend friends!

Niki

PS Stuck on a room and could use a little help? We're offering 20% off a new room design through My Scandinavian Home Studio online interior design service with the code MYNEWROOM until 7th May, 2019. We'd love to help you!

Photographs 1 to 6 by Tia Borgsmidt 

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Danish Design: City Prints By Martin Schwartz

Sponsored*
Do you have a happy place in your home?! Mine is this corner which is always bathed in sunshine and sooooo snuggly. Sadly I never get there first (my children are like cats - they always curl up in the warmest spot in the house before I get there - and then you don't have the heart to move them!). Anyhow, our happy corner of my home has just got a whole lot happier with the help of a new print by local danish designer Martin Schwartz. Martin has a special gift to capture the soul of a city in a single print. Each drawing takes months to create and the buildings are carefully selected and illustrated down to the finest detail - "only then can it depict the true DNA of the city". There are currently 13 cites available with the recent addition of Stockholm!

 The level of detail is just incredible!

I also picked out the London city print to add a little piece of 'home' to our Malmö house! It'll serve as a perfect backdrop for when I ask my husband to play 'streets of London' on his guitar (you can imagine his eyes rolling!). But he does love this print at least! It's the small wins, right?!

Take a peek in Martin Schwart's online shop for the full range of city prints. Martin ships throughout Europe! 

Do you have a favourite? 

Niki

*This post is brought to you in collaboration with Martin Schwartz. All words and pictures are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the small Scandinavian businesses and local artists who make My Scandinavian Home possible.

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7 Gallery Walls For Every Room - And A Fail-Safe Way To Hang Art!

Are you a fan of gallery walls? They've been rocking the interior world for a while now and it looks like they are here to stay! The great news is, as long as you have the wall space, they can go just about anywhere and make a great feature! I've rounded up some of my favourites from around the web for a room by room guide:

In the sitting room
The Danes are masters of gallery walls. The one below has been circulating the web for a while now, but I'll never tire of it! Made up of exhibition posters from Louisiana Museum of Modern Art as well as pieces by other Danish artists, it adds a whole load of personality to the sitting room!

In the dining room
A selection of prints (including Portrait J*)  trail all the way from the ground up in Theo-bert Pot's dining room against a millennial pink backdrop. See the rest of Theo-bert's creative home here!

Theo-bert Pot

In the Stairway
The stairs is an ideal space for art and photography. In Louise's home, a gallery wall adds a wonderful splash of colour to an otherwise white space. Think about mixing up a series of thin frames* to add interest. FYI - Louise's homes is one of my favourites! Hop over to take the full tour!

Louise / Mor till Mernee

In the bedroom
Who says a gallery wall needs to be perfectly aligned? These pictures arranged above a bedside table have been placed at different heights by Avenue Design Studio for a charming and relaxed look.

In the home office / studio
In this creative studio, artist Edith Rewa's own pretty illustrations have been combined with other work for an entire wall of inspiration.  Not an artist? You can always collect  pictures you love from magazines, cards and other places and create a giant moodboard!

Edith Rewa / The Design Files

In the bathroom
Honestly WTF has ditched the frames to create a gallery wall using prints from Society 6 in the downstairs loo!

Honestly WTF

In the entrance / hallway
What to do with a long, narrow entrance way without eating into the space? Add a gallery wall like Johanna Landbo's to brighten up your entry and exit each day (don't miss the full tour of her Danish home along with a few small space hacks here).

Got the art, but not sure where to start? (I'm a poet, but I just didn't know it!). Here's a guide I created a while ago. It's my fail-safe method for picture hanging (ever since my husband went a bit nuts over all the unnecessary holes in the wall!):

1. Take a large roll of paper and draw around each of the pictures you intend to hang. Cut out the template.
2. Stick them on the wall with blu-tac - and play around with the templates until you have a composition you're happy with. Quick tip I learned: artwork looks best if it's around two thirds of the width of the furniture beneath it (of course rules are there to be broken and this is definitely not an instruction - more a guide if you're feeling stuck!).
3. Measure the distance of the hook on the back of the picture (both vertically and horizontally)
4. Mark out the same spot on your template on the wall.
5. Hammer a nail through the marked out spot
6. Tear away the template leaving the nail in place and you're ready to rock!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on gallery walls. Do you have a favourite from the above round-up? Do you have one in your own home?
Have a lovely day friends!

Niki

//affiliate links marked with *

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An Inspiring, Serene Home in Napa Valley, California

Hello and Gott Nytt År! (Happy New Year!). I hope you had a wonderful time over the holidays? I totally managed to switch off thanks to a snowy ski trip to Hemsedal in Norway. I love up there and I'm feeling so revived now! The only problem is, I'm feeling sooo slow this morning.  Do you feel the same?! I'm on my third coffee (no 'buck wheat' New Year's resolution for this girl!) and there's no sign of any movement yet! But the good news is I've got a fabulous home tour to share with you! Yay! Captured by Thayer Gowdy for Domino, the house in question belongs to Minted founder and CEO Mariam Naficy. Located in Napa Valley, Mariam's home is absolutely perfect inspiration if you're looking to add texture to your home: think large fluffy rugs, knotted wallhangings, rustic beams and doors and fluffy sheepskins. It's also both colourful, yet calm, contemporary yet relaxed and full of items collected on travels far and wide. Keep a look out for the fabulous wall art which includes prints, wall-hangings, masks and murals too!

What a beautiful home! And all that wine on her doorstep too! *Bliss*!

Is there anything that stands out to you?

You can read more about Mariam's home and where items are from over at Domino here. Thanks also to Victoria of SF Girl By Home where I first spotted this space!

I'm a big fan of Minted, who sell art created by independent artists. I've been working with them since last summer. You can see some examples of our collaborations here, here and here. Definitely a great source for lovely pieces for your walls!

Oh and one more thing. Victoria noted that the mural above the bed was a perfect way to avoid hanging art over the bed in an area at risk of earthquakes. Smart! I also love the idea of a trump l'oeil - there's a beautiful example in the Danish home of Karen Maj Kornum (I saw it in real life when we photographed it for The Scandinavian Home and it was mesmerising!).

Not quite ready to crack on with mundane Monday tasks? You could always check out other beautiful California homes instead. I love this relaxed, boho-style in Orange County,  a beautiful Spanish style house in California and a 1920s storybook home in Oakland Hills.

Have a great start to the week - and here's to a fabulous 2019 friends!

Niki

Photography: Thayer Gowdy for Domino

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Loving these new Danish prints!

Something beautiful happens when danish businesses come together (how can it not?!). This is why I was super excited when The Poster Club* announced an exclusive collaboration with former fashion designer Malene Birger (check out her home here). Birger's art is expressed in strong, abstract and graphical forms, mostly developed in monochrome colours. As part of the collab, the six new prints have been styled by Dane - Pernille Vest and captured by Emil Monty Freddie in the beautiful Skagerak showroom (yep, it's a complete Danish family affair!). Here's a sneak peek!

What do you reckon? Could you imagine having these in your home? I love them - especially with the oak frame.

Want to pick one up? The prints are available here*.  

By the way, I owe everyone who popped in on Friday an apology! For the first time ever, I failed to turn up and post (eeeek)! I was in Moscow to hold a a talk about Pure Scandinavian Design (such an honour!) and time just ran away with me. I have to say I was completely mesmerised by the city! What a beautiful, fascinating place! One of the highlights was the Christmas market on the red square - the bright colours, the music, the backdrop! And exploring the subway which is full of beautiful sculptures and art. A big thank you to all my new Russian friends who made me feel so welcome and anyone who took the time to send me tips!

I thought I'd make up for my lack of Friday post by posting twice today - look out for a little more inspiration later!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

Niki

Design: Malene Birger. Photography: Emil Monty Freddie, Styling: Pernille Vest, Sold through: The Poster Club.

Affiliate links marked with *

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Annika Sahléns Cosy, Calm and Creative Swedish Home

Men, hejsan! I hope you had a fabulous weekend? It's 2pm on Monday and I'm still cranking into action. Not that I haven't done anything today (I've put together an entire advent calendar - to be revealed tomorrow!), it's just that I'm doing everything so slowly! - anyone else feel the same?! I'm in my office in Malmö today but where I'd much rather be is hanging out in the lovely Swedish home of interior designer / stylist Annika Sahlén. Annika has been passionate about interiors for as long as she can remember, and in 2015 she took the plunge and went back to school to re-train before starting her interior business Inreda Bevara. Annika's philosophy is that everyone should feel good at home; after all, it's where you 'umgås' (cosy up / hang out) with friends and family, re-charge your batteries and generally spend a great deal of time. Her own home is testimony to this. The space oozes comfort and calm and is awash with muted, earthy tones, natural textures and interesting works of art. Enjoy the tour!

Above: Lone house print, Söderhamn sofa

Love this magazine stash! Why doesn't mine ever look as neat as this?!

How great is this gallery wall? Annika may have stuck to similar tones but each and every piece is unique.  Annika's husband made the large piece directly over the bench (I love the idea of the bench too). In the back corner you can catch a glimpse of the IKEA PS 2014 corner chair - a limited edition piece which is now available on second hand sites.

The kitchen walls have been painted in Almond Beige by Jotun which contrast with a wooden floor painted in a fresh, matt white. Pick up a fab vintage kilim like this one here*. 

Pholc lamp*

Annika has painted her bedroom wall in Fridhemsgatan by Alcro. A handy long row of hooks have been painted in the same colour. 

I think what strikes me the most about Annika's lovely home is the art - not just the paintings, illustrations and photography but also the sculptures! I do love a bust (ha! that could so easily get misconstrued!). I found the 'mango head' one in the sitting room right here, but sadly it looks like it's sold out. Annika found the clay one at a flea market.

Can anyone recommend a great place to buy sculptures like these? If so. I'd love to hear any tips in the comment section below.

Is there anything you love in particular about Annika's home?

Check out more pics here and find out more about Annika's interior design and styling services at Inreda Bevara here.

Not quite done? Join the club! Why not dig around in the Swedish home archive - there must be over 500 home tours in there these days! Crazy! 

Happy Monday all!

Niki

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